Is Bonds' baseball career over? Possibly/probably (though those definitive pronouncements by TV analysts within minutes of the news made me laugh that anyone ever actually labeled me an instant-history hysteric), but to be honest, that would be too bad. I was actually interested to see him on a new team next season.

I will only add one of my favorite scandal maxims I've been spouting since the Quickie's earliest days: It's always the cover-up, never the crime.

Far more intriguingly...

Oregon is OUT of the BCS hunt! The Ducks were rocked on the road, losing under the lights by an inspired (and unranked) Arizona team.

Perhaps we should have seen it coming (5th No. 2-ranked team to lose this season), but regardless, it's yet another wild twist to the college football season (and, personally, perhaps redemption for me from the abuse I took for ranking Oregon No. 3 in my latest BlogPoll).

Amazingly, after all the upheaval we have seen this season, the BCS title game sets up rather cleanly: LSU versus the survivor of the Big 12's virtual playoff among Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Done.

(On the outside looking in is West Virginia, but as you'll see below, I have WVU losing at feisty Cincinnati tomorrow anyway. And, of course, things get crazy again if LSU stumbles in the SEC Championship Game and/or the Big 12's Big Three lose unexpectedly.)

Heisman Watch: Meanwhile, with Oregon's loss, QB Dennis Dixon (injured in the first half) is effectively bounced as the Heisman front-runner (if not because Oregon lost, then because he simply didn't play).

UPDATE: It has been mentioned in the Comments, fairly, that the above opinion was callous, particularly about a player leading the Heisman race. Upon further reflection, that's right: It's a shame that a player as dynamic as Dixon was KO'd from the game and the Heisman race (along with his team's title hopes), and I certainly wish him a full recovery and a shot at an NFL career.

That presumably makes Tim Tebow the new front-runner, but I still think Missouri's Chase Daniel makes a run if the Tigers beat two Top 5 teams (Kansas, Oklahoma) in back-to-back weeks and play their way into the national-title game.

CFB Preview and Picks: It's all about jockeying for BCS positioning. LSU must win, obviously, but winning with style wouldn't hurt. Same goes for Kansas, Oklahoma and Mizzou, all still on a collision course to combine to crash the BCS.

And last year's Game of the Year – Ohio State/Michigan – is merely a game to determine the Big Ten champ. That's all fine and good, but it's not like playing for a spot in the BCS title game, like last year. Oh, and it could be Lloyd Carr's final shot at beating Ohio State, so there's that.

1 LSU over Ole Miss3 Kansas over IowaState4 Oklahoma over Texas Tech5 Missouri over Kansas St22 Cincinnati over 6 West Virginia (Upset Special)21 Michigan over 7 Ohio State (Game of the Week)9 Georgia over 23 Kentucky10 Virginia Tech over Miami12 Florida over FloridaAtlantic15 Clemson over 17 BC16 Hawaii over Nevada18 Boise State over Idaho19 Illinois over Northwestern20 Tennessee over Vanderbilt24 UConn over Syracuse25 Wisconsin over Minnesota

NFL Picks:Bucs over at FalconsAt Bengals over CardsAt Lions over GiantsAt Packers over PanthersAt Colts over ChiefsAt Vikings over RaidersAt Eagles over DolphinsAt Jags over ChargersBrowns over at RavensAt Texans over SaintsSteelers over at JetsAt Cowboys over RedskinsRams over at 49ersAt Seahawks over BearsPats over at BillsAt Broncos over Titans

A-Rod back with Yankees for 10Y/$275M: I love it: "agree to the outline of a deal." Who gets that kind of treatment? The intrigue, of course, is less about A-Rod and more about Scott Boras rumored to have been cut out of the negotiations. What a public come-uppance for that guy.

Meanwhile, I love the rumor of a contract clause that gives A-Rod a huge bonus if he breaks the all-time home-run record as a Yankee, rumored to be something like $25 million, which Hank Steinbrenner wouldn't call a performance clause, but instead a "historic-achievement bonus." (via NYT) Let's hope they included a "historic achievement" clause that would come with A-Rod actually winning a World Series.

MLB Awards Season: Jake Peavy wins the NL Cy Young, unanimously. Not much more to add to that, now, is there? MVPs coming next week, and the AL side is going to dovetail nicely with the A-Rod contract story. On the NL side, it's Rollins vs. Holliday.

More MLB: Derek Jeter doesn't want to pay his fair share of taxes. Tough spot for the Captain: Either he's a tax cheat or he hates New York.

It is ludicrous for him to live and play in New York City 7 months out of the year – claiming his loyalty to the city of New York, but yet claim he's not a New York resident, a status which would open him up to paying his fair share of taxes to support the city's operations.

God forbid the multi-millionaire who has built his career on the backs (and greenbacks) of the loyalty and support of millions of New Yorkers rightfully pay taxes on the income he earned while living in New York and taking financial advantage of that support.

NFL: Ricky Williams to rejoin Dolphins on Monday. The stat to track, obviously, is what percent of fantasy football owners, desperate for a running back, pick up Ricky. (Um, I know I will. Hey: Why not?)

More about Ricky: I was thinking yesterday how in today's NFL, where we increasingly see arrests and steroid busts seemingly every week, how quaint it seems that Ricky Williams simply had a problem with smoking pot.

I'm not saying that wasn't wrong or idiotic or against league policy, but just that I feel like fans will have a lot greater tolerance for Ricky these days than even a year ago.

I mean: Compare Ricky to, say, Pac-Man Jones. Ricky is the doddering stoner you can root for; Pac-Man is the douchebag criminal you can't.

More NFL: To his credit, Tom Brady calls out any Pats teammates who don't want to deal with the 19-0 thing. "If you don't want to be in that position, you might as well quit the game. Because if it's too much that you're winning and all of a sudden that's pressure, this probably isn't the right sport for you." Damn straight.

NFL Pro Bowl Voting: Brett Favre is the leading vote-getter, and even as a confirmed Favre-hater over the years, I think that's pretty impressive. Equally impressive, leading the votes among all running backs? Rookie Adrian Peterson. NFL fans are voting right this year.

NBA: The Stud of the Night was Grant Hill, who had 24 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in leading the Suns to their 4th straight win (over the increasingly hapless Bulls, who must be regretting their decision not to trade for Kobe when they had the chance). Hill's resurgence is one of the great stories of the season; what a reminder that a player's success can and does often hinge on the system he is playing in and who he is playing with.

(I will lift my ban on talking about the Mavs until they make the second round of the playoffs long enough to remind everyone that a regular-season win by Dallas over the Spurs is utterly meaningless. The Spurs are the defending champs; the Mavs are the defending chumps.)

College Hoops: Memphis picked up a quality win against one of the solid teams on their brutal non-conference schedule, beating Oklahoma by 10 at MadisonSquareGarden. Derrick Rose led the Tigers with 17. (In another quasi-quality win, Georgetown beat Michigan.)

Meanwhile, add another super-frosh to the growing list of ones to watch: NC State's JJ Hickson had 31, the second-highest scoring total for a freshman in school history. The No. 21 Wolfpack also won the game.

NASCAR: The biggest problem with the points championship system is that this weekend's finale has zero drama. Jimmie Johnson will win the title, barring catastrophe. (Now, if a bitter rival intentionally knocked Johnson out of the race, giving the title to Jeff Gordon? Now THAT would be dramatic.)

Strat-O-Matic 1986 Update: The Expos' Vance Law clubbed my Cubs for 5 RBI (including a grand slam) and we lost our second game in a row, dropping to 3-4 on the season. Adding insult to injury, Montreal is managed by league commissioner and Strat god Bernie Hou. At some point, I think this entire league is his own personal experiment to re-live the 1986 season with the Expos winning the division, NL pennant and World Series.

I love how Dan is trying to make the Jeter tax thing more of a story than what it is. Dude has an idiot for an accountant, bottom line. Truckloads of people that claim residency elsewhere to pay less tax. and really, who cares? I am sure Yankee fans from New York are just sitting there pissed that he isn't paying his taxes. please. Maybe if the Yanks weren't financing the whole stadium and tax payers were responsible for it, then maybe you would have some people think like that Dan, but nope they don't.

A-Rod can't have winning a World Series in his contract. It's against the CBA to put monetary incentive contigent on team performance. Curt Schilling (I think) tried to do this with his previous contract and was hastily rebuffed.

OK, I started along this line on Monday, but Arizona kind of beat me to the punch. I thought Oregon would lose at UCLA, but I knew they wouldn't finish 11-1.

First, I will acknowledge that I am an Ohio State homer, so take this all with a grain of salt. But, here goes:1. LSU - loses to Arkansas2. Oregon - Done3. Kansas - loses to Missouri4. Oklahoma - loses to Texas Tech5. Missouri - Loses to Oklahoma6. West Virginia - loses to Cinci7. Ohio State - Beats Michigan. Plays in BCS Championship game8. Arizona State - eh

I know it sounds crazy, but weirder things have happened already this year. Realistically, I agree with Dan that he BCS is LSU vs Big 12. It wouldn't take too much craziness (2 of the Big 12 3 have to lose to eachother anyway) to bump WVU or OSU up to the title game.

I have a hard time believing that me saying Tebow is the Heisman front-runner is slurping when, in fact, he is now the Heisman front-runner -- whether that opinion comes from a Florida fan or not. And of course I wish Dixon a full recovery and a long, productive NFL career...but my omission of that from the item is hardly "classless."

Oh i forgot you are only excited when OSU loses to an unranked opponent(and for the record...Arizona is way WAY worse that Illinois)

Oregon losing last night means that the UM/OSU games means something more for the bucks. not only a spot in the rose bowl but puts them right back in the National Championship pic...especially after LSU loses in the SEC championship game and WVU loses one of their final 3 games.

Do you remember when Bob Stoops and Oklahoma lost controversially to Oregon? I imagine he gave more than a little help to his brother Mike at Arizona knowing how much a Wildcat win would help Oklahoma.

Maybe this is the year that a guy like Dorsey wins the Heisman as a defensive lineman. He is probably the best player in college football this year. That has to say something, especially with such an uninspiring field.

In the SEC East, Georgia has the tiebreak over Florida, Florida has the tiebreak over Tennessee, and Tennessee has the tiebreak over Georgia. So, depending on what happens in the next couple games, Florida is not yet mathematically eliminated. But, it would require, I think, a UGA loss to Kentucky AND a Tennessee loss to either Kentucky or Vandy. So, realistically, it's a big 2 in the East, but it isn't totally decided yet.

Just so we're clear, Brady did not "call out" his teammates or anything even remotely close to that. Here's the quote in context...

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots QB Tom Brady answered questions from reporters today at Gillette Stadium and a main theme was how the team handles pressure. With reporters from USA Today and ESPN on site, more national attention is being paid to the Patriots and Brady was asked if he feels the heat because of the team's undefeated record.

He responded by touching on his competitive drive.

"I try to win every single time I take the field," he said. "Every time I try to win in backgammon. I try to win in cards. I try to win driving to the bubble, when we practice in the bubble. If that’s pressure, then that’s kind of competition and being an athlete. If you don’t want to be in that position, you might as well quit the game because if it’s too much that you’re winning and all of a sudden there’s pressure this probably isn’t the right sport for you."

And for as much slupring as Dan does, there's no way anyone can say that Tebow is not the frontrunner for the Heisman right now.

In 1998, Dan wasn't an SEC fan yet, so he probably won't remember the way that season finished. Ohio State was #1 most of the year, then lost to MSU in November (at home). I think they needed 6 teams to lose, paving the way for them to win the national championship. The game I most remember is the UCLA make-up game at Miami (rescheduled to December because of a hurricane no less). When that was over, Ohio State only needed Arkansas to upset Tennessee in the SEC Championship game. A late Arkansas fumble gave the title to Tennessee, who went on to win the National Championship game. Ohio State beat Texas A&M (who upset Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship as one of the losses the Buckeyes needed) in the Sugar Bowl and finished #2. That was the first year of the BCS, and the multiple November/ December losses changed the BCS landscape dramatically in year 1.

Now, Ohio State is in the exact same position -- late season loss at home to conference opponent, needing to beat Michigan to still have a shot. 2 of the Big 12 3 have to lose in this round-robin, so with Oregon out, OSU will finish 4th or better if they win out. So, now it's only LSU and WVU standing between the most improbably return to the top. And Dan, even as a Buckeye hater, you would have to admit this would be at least a little bit fun. My actual first choice would be for crazy B12 upsets, and an OSU/LSU championship game. Since that's not as realistic for 3 B12 teams to lose down the stretch, I can only hope for B12 against B10 for all the marbles.

And, Dan, unfortunately I have to agree that Tebow might be the frontrunner right now. He's not the best player in the nation, but he is the face of a good team, he gets national press coverage, he is having a great year #s wise, and he still has an outside shot of getting a 2nd chance against LSU. In any other year, he's not a candidate, but this year there is no outstanding candidate, and -- unlike last year -- the preseason favorite has not held up his own end of the deal.

Probably shouldn't offer commentary on things you aren't clear on...there is drama in the final race of the NASCAR season...at least Gordon has a chance to overtake JJ. In the old system, Gordon would be up by something like 300-400 points, so there would've been no drama for several races.

Plus, Johnson's won 10 races this year, imagine the uproar if he didn't win the cup.

Sorry Dan, I'm going to have to echo flvy and say it was classless. The guy goes down and your first (and only) thought is how it affects your Gators. I'm surprised you didn't tell us how the Bonds indictment affects Tebow's chances.

Sorry Dan, I'm going to have to echo flvy and say it was classless. The guy goes down and your first (and only) thought is how it affects your Gators. I'm surprised you didn't tell us how the Bonds indictment affects Tebow's chances.

In the interest of full disclosure I am not a fan of OSU but respect their program and the Sweatervest as a great coach. Having said that, I think they are absolutely back in the title hunt with a win tomorrow and I am now personally rooting for it. If for no other reason than to hear Dan piss and moan about it for the next 6 weeks. They are now 7th in the BCS and they obviously need a combination of things to happen but just look at it rationally for a moment and it could happen.

1. LSU (Could lose in the SEC title game but I don't think they will at home against Arkansas. Honestly, has anyone been THAT impressed? They have played a ton of close SEC games. Even if they don't lose, it doesn't preclude OSU from getting to the title game.)

2. Oregon (Done. See ya.)

3., 4., 5. Kansas, Mizzou, Oklahoma. (These three are a field entry since they are going to be playing one another and 2 of them are guarenteed to lose. I believe Oklahoma is the best team but they could also lose very easily in Lubbock this weekend against those tricky Red Raiders. I believe that Mizzou beats KU, and OU beats Mizzou in the title game. 2 teams will lose for sure and I could make a very strong case that all 3 will.

6. WVU- (Hmmmm.... this one is problematic but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them lose @ Cincy on Sat. Night. Plus, they still have UConn & Pitt although they should handle both of them easily.)

7. Ohio State- (Win at Ann Arbor tomorrow and sit around and hope for the ensuing carnage.)

Seriously, as a graduate of another Big 10 school (Penn State-see a novel concept, being a fan of your alma mater) I root against the Buckeyes all the time (although not against UM because of the completely loathsome Load Carr, and yes I have my reasons for feeling this way about him) but I hope this scenario plays out if for no other reason than to have Dan whine about it.

the one good that may come from a Tebow Heisman is that it'll justify the voters looking at underclassmen. guys like fitzgerald and mcfadden should each have 1 by now. look for knowshon "will plague my nightmares for the next 2 years as a UT fan" moreno next year to be a top candidate.

I can argue that Tebow isn't the frontrunner for the Heisman. Listen, that kid is a great player and I'm not taking anything away from him. However, his team (on which he plays by far the most important position, especially in that offense) has 3 losses.

How about the best player on a team that is actually in the title hunt for the Heisman since it isn't normally awarded to a guy running a team that loses that many times.

For instance, how about Chase Daniels. His team is in the hunt and they'd be nowhere without him. He isn't as deserving as Tebow? He doesn't get the media attention (not to mention a daily Shanoff tongue bath) that Tebow gets, but he is every bit as worthy.

I could also make a case (admittedly a weaker one) for Reesing the Kansas QB or even a couple OSU players (Laurenitis or Boeckman) since they've had more an impact on the national title hunt.

BTW, Dorsey may be as good a college player as their is in the country but he can't/won't win it. He has been injured and missed to much game action.

Is this the season that finally proves that Division 1 football needs some sort of playoffs. You could have what 6 or 7 1 loss teams that would deserve a shot at the national title. Hopefully this is the season that see the NCAA wake up.

As a lifelong Red Sox fan I've never been a fan of Jeter (although I do respect him as a classy and great player0. However, no matter who you root for, you've got to admire the murderer's row of chicks he has been through. It's like he is trying to complete the entire Maxim Top 100 himself. Impressive, very impressive. His taxes? Who cares.

Screamin' A. Smith played the race card? Hmmmm... wow, now there is a shock. How long until Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton arrange a news conference at Barry's side?

My wife is a lawyer and as she said last night, they wouldn't have brought such a high profile indictment if they weren't very sure they have the goods. His trainer getting released doesn't look good for Barry. He knows everything and if he flipped and was then released, Barry could be in big trouble. That could certainly be the reason the indictment wasn't brought until yesterday. It took them that long to turn Anderson.

In any case, if the Feds believe you perjured yourself, the color of your skin doesn't matter one bit. They will throw the book at you. Ask Martha Stewart.

The think the Steven A(I wonder what that stands for) Smith does not get is that it about who Barry is or what Color he is, it is about the facts that he lied to a grand jury and that is against the law. The reason you do not see Giambi or Sheffield who also testified in this case being charged because they told the truth.

Being a huge Buckeye fan, I have to thank Dan for picking Michigan to win. But in all honesty, Dan just needs to quit covering anything non-SEC related. He knows zilch about sports outside of that conference.

For the OSU fans, I'd much rather everyone worry about winning tomorrow than trying to figure out ways to make it to the BCS championship game. Win the game and let all the other scenarios play at as they will.

After all, a top 5 ranking in a supposed "rebuilding" year is a pretty spectacular feat for a program.

Tebow is having a great year, but in any other year he isn't even on the Heisman radar.

As a note of clarification, I guess technically Martha Stewart went down for Insider Trading but it was based on mis-information she gave the Feds when they questioned her about it.

Also, I know the Feds are saying that Anderson was released because they didn't need him anymore. However, it is very possible he flipped and they are saying they don't need him for Anderson's own self interest. Otherwise, why release him when he still wasn't cooperating in a Federal investigation? If they had all they needed to indict Barry, they still would have kept him in hopes of turning him and further strengtening their case. I'm not saying he flipped, just saying that it is definetly a possibility.

You know, I could TOTALLY get behind a Dorsey-for-Heisman campaign. Best defensive player in the country (and arguably the best overall player). Plays for the best team in the country (which is built on its D). Very little other competition from the usual places (QBs of top-ranked teams, best offensive player -- McFadden -- on a team with too poor of a record to give him a chance to win, etc). I still think that Chase Daniel digs it out at the end if he can beat Kansas and Oklahoma in back-to-back weeks. But that's a big If. So why not Dorsey?

Also...someone PLEASE explain Strat-o-Matic to me. I've researched it and STILL don't understand it. Do the players in Dan's "league" get together every night and actually physically roll the die together? Or is it computer generated?

The score might have been what it was, but the offense could not be stopped (and if Williams, #4, had hands the game would have been 15-0 before anyone blinked).

Yes, Oregon would have cruised to a victory. Hell, they still almost came back with the worst QB in Div1 behind center. Just about the entire team gave up for almost two quarters after Dixon went down.

That leaves the question of what exactly are they basing this indictment on?

Roger Cossak has said that he can't figure it out. That's not a good sign. That guy figures everything out.

For what we know now, the only thing that could prove that Bonds lied to the Feds would be if somebody talked to Bonds about doing steriods. We know that Greg Anderson isn't testifying. We know that Victor Conte isn't testifying.

That leaves somebody completely random. If the person comes out of the blue than they aren't credible because of the "where were you 5 years ago when all this started" clause. Cossak said that the dark horse here could be Bonds' ex-girlfriend. Unfortunetly for the Feds, she isn't credible because she hates him to much to be taken seriously.

There is a theory that the only reason the Feds indicted Bonds was that they just got fed up (no pun intended) with looking like losers for not getting him.

If that is the case, you can bet that if this thing starts and they in fact do not have any new evidence against him and he still doesn't play this season because the Feds decided to do it now just for fun that he's going to sue them.

Imagine the potential embarrassment for the Feds if they not only can't get him but have to essentially pay his salary for this season while he doesn't even play.

Cossak already debunnked that. He says that they got that test a year and a half ago.

Besides that, the steriods test isn't useful. All it says is that he did steriods but...

BONDS SAID HE DID STERIODS!

This is about him lying when he said that when he was on the cream and the clear that he didn't know it was illegal. The only way to know that he knew is to either be him or be someone that talked to him about it.

Most of the material in the indictment is familiar to anyone who has followed the BALCO investigation, but there is one surprise. The surprise is that, according to the indictment, during the criminal investigation evidence was obtained, including positive tests for steroids and other performance-enhancing substances for Bonds and other professional athletes. When asked about it in front of the grand jury, Bonds denied a positive test. It will be one of the most difficult charges for Bonds to deny. He will be scientifically connected to a positive test with DNA and other techniques.

The problem with that was explained by Cossak. Bonds may have tested positive. He denied testing positive. Apparently he tested positive.

You see the problem here?

The problem is that Bonds wasn't the one testing himself. It was Conte. Anderson might have known about it. One of the two of them would have had to tell Bonds that he tested positive for him to have been lying on the stand.

If neither of them testify that they told Bonds about the test, and we know they won't, than the test doesn't help the Feds.

You may be right that Anderson didn't flip and I know that all the lawyers are saying he didn't. However, I will say again the Feds wouldn't risk the embarrassment of losing a trial if they weren't very sure they had a strong case. Otherwise they would have indicted him years ago.

Why now? They have something new and Anderson wouldn't be the first guy to flip and not admit he was doing it so he would be left alone. I'm not saying his testimony is the new evidence, I'm just saying it isn't completely impossible. The Feds would not have indicted such a high profile client (who they know will have the best legal counsel money can buy) unless they are sure in their own minds that they have him. Remember this is the Federal Gov't and not local S.F. prosecutors. As the statistics everyone used in the Vick case indicate, the Feds very rarely lose an indicted case. I'm not saying Bonds will be convicted, I'm just sure they have strong evidence against him.

@CM. Thanks for the correction on Martha Stewart. I posted what I did based on my own memory which seems to be fading by the day.

Why is there all the love for Chase and Tebow and everyone states it is a weaker case for Reesing? He is the QB for the last BCS undefeated team in the nation. He has more TD passes than Tebow and less Ints than both Tebow and Daniels. Plus his team is undefeated! I am just asking.

Now that Bonds is indicted can we have a Ben Johnson-like punishment and expunge Bonds from the record book. Sure he hit more home runs than Aaron, but Johnson was the first (and only for a LONG time) to break the 9.8 barrier in the 100m and did run faster than Carl Lewis and the rest in the '88 Olympics.

About Vance Law -- Looks like you should have asked to do the 88 season instead as it was his first season with the Cubs. Not to mention the year he had his highest BA. You better watch this commish guy, Vance only had one GS in his career.

Tebow has more TD's because almost half of them are rushing TD's. Why is that? Because he really doesn't have any other big playmaker to help him. Florida is very overrated this year. Just another Florida system QB who will do nothing on the next level.

One thing holding back Reesing is that he's only a soph. But unlike Tebow, he hasn't been hyped since the day he stepped on campus. The drawback when comparing him to Daniel is that Daniel has more yards mostly because KU actually has a good running game. Reesing however did get his letter from the Heisman people so at least he's getting some recognition for what he's doing.

The idea of Bonds records being taken of the books is the dumbest thing ever. Because, for the last time, HE ISN'T BEING INDICTED FOR USING STERIODS!!!!

It's for lying to the Grand Jury. Since when has lying taken your stats away? And if it is doing steriods that takes it away then we have to take everyone who tested positive away. Don't forget that as far as MLB goes, the people that tested positive are worse because those are official MLB tests. Bonds never got suspended like those guys.

And if we wait till the Mitchell report comes out we are going to wipe out more than half of the stats from the last 5 years....

So where do we draw the line? Your stats are only wiped out if you are indicted? Why? That's never been the case before.

How about your stats are wiped out only if you are the best hitter of all time? That seems fair.

The Barry Bonds indictment and the years worth of efforts spent trying to get the indictment are a huge, huge waste of taxpayer money and a waste of U.S. Attorney resources. It's one thing for the MLB to sanction him for his steroid abuse. It's their league and he's an employee. But the U.S. Federal Government? They're not even going after him for the steroid use because it wasn't illegal. They're going after Bonds because he is a very unpopular person. That's disgraceful and frightening.

Absolutely: Reesing should be in the conversation. If Kansas beats Missouri and Oklahoma in back-to-back weeks (and Reesing performs at a rate similar to the rest of his season), he should absolutely get the same bump to the top that Daniel is getting. Both ahead of Tebow, I feel compelled to add.

He has the record...personally, I have no problem wiping Canseco, Giambi and the rest's stats either. But the record should be set to 755 and given back Hank Aaron. As you subtly put it (did you just learn how to bold text by the way), he was indicted for perjury. Among the evidence against him is a positive test for anabolic steroids and testimony from a witness (not Anderson) that corrobates that he took them knowingly (hence the perjury charge). That to me suggest that he knowingly cheated and cheaters (like Ben Johnson) in the past (in other sports) have had records, Olympic medals (Jones, as well) and other sporting accomplishments taken away. Such as NCAA champion teams found to be cheating have had to give up prior championships and forfeit victories. Why should Bonds get any special treatment? I find it hard to believe that there are still Bonds apologists out there.

The thing about Tebow is that he will most likely obliterate the season record for rushing td's by a qb. I wouldn't be surprised to see him score another five against FAU and a few against the semenholes. Then you factor in the bowl game and he could easily have 30 rushing td's this year. I think the only thing that will ruin it for him is that he will split votes with mcfadden like someone pointed out yesterday. According to the 4 letter a poll of voters had Tebow second to Dixon but after the injury last night it seems that Tebow will have to seriously mess up to not win. The funniest thing about Tebow though is that I think he will have a really good pro career - as a fullback. I think he would be great at it since he loves to hit people.

God I hope michigan wins this weekend if only to see a smile on my cousins face. She makes people like Dan seem like passive fans.

I wonder how many of y'all will just avoid the WWL for the next two weeks. I mean all we are going to hear about are A-rod and Bonds.

You can't wipe only one of Bonds' stats. That isn't logical. It's all or nothing. If you do get rid of the stats than you have to get rid of everybody's because, as I said, there are guys that are worse than Bonds as far as actually testing positive in an MLB test. So we have to wipe out everything that everybody who took steriods ever did. Once a couple hundred names are added to the pool when the Mitchell Report comes out, it will be about half of every player in the last bunch of years. More names could still come out after that.

Bottom line is that it isn't fair for MLB to pick on Bonds, even though the Feds are, and get rid of his records and not do it to everyone else.

If you wipe Bonds off the books you are essentially going to wipe the books off the books.

Technically they've never attempted to go after people who got steriods from an illegal source, only the source itself. So that's why they were after Conte. Bonds lied because they wanted him to rat on the company giving him the stuff.

While taking the steriods is illegal, nobody has ever been charged with that.

It is with deepest sympathy and regret that I must express my sorrow for the pain and suffering you will endure this Sunday. Please try to understand that Mr. Brady and I have not singled out your organization or players with any prejudice or vendetta. Try not to concern yourself with the final point differential; the offense is simply trained to destroy and never look at the scoreboard. Please refrain from using hurtful phrases this Monday like “Running up the score” and “Unfair advantages” or of course “Must have been cheating again”. Instead try to face the truth and move on to your next opponent knowing that this just wasn’t your year.

I'm not talking about wiping all stats, but he cannot be the holder of the biggest baseball record. That's just a flat out disgrace. And really, what makes MLB's test any better/different than a government test for steroids? Does it do a superior job of detecting steroids? And before you say that MLB just started testing, remember that steroids have been illegal (in baseball) for a while, though there wasn't testing. To stick with my analagy, Ben Johnson cheated, had his record of 9.79 seconds taken away as well as his gold medal. Barry Bonds cheated and thus should have the record taken away (and even his MVP awards).

Yes, perjury is illegal and should be discouraged. But the fact is that the U.S. Attorneys bring perjury charges in about .01% of the cases in which it occurs. And they usually don't spend five years of intensive investigation to get there. And usually there is such underlying charge of substantive illegality.

Bonds's indictment is about selective enforcement.

It's tantamount to a police officer personally stalking Bonds for several years and then one day arresting him for jaywalking. Is jaywalking illegal? Yes. Is that justice? Not really. Is it a wise use of our legal system? Fuck no.

At least in the case of Martha Stewart, there was an underlying charge of illegality--insider trading. This is more akin to trying to arrest Bill Clinton for lying about an imprudent blowjob.

The one key thing about the five #2 teams losing this year is that they all lost to unranked teams. This has been a bizarre season. While I love college football and will attend the UConn-Syracuse game tomorrow, the lack of a playoff really ruins the end of the season for me.

A team is done if they lose late in the year like Ohio State or Oregon. Shouldn't those teams realistically be in the hunt in an 8 game playoff? Of course. The worst argument is that having a playoff diminishes the other bowls. Last I checked, half them them are between mediocre teams playing in half filled stadiums.

What would college basketball be without the tournament? Why not recreate that excitement in football?

One interesting note not touched on here is that Yanks are trying to acquire Lowell to play first base for them. Hey, what happened to Giambi, Shelly Duncan and Menkowitz? Is that because they really want him or just want to take him away from the Red Sox?

That has to be a player's dream to have the Yanks and Red Sox in a bidding war.

Mienkevicz is a free agent and Duncan is an outfielder who had one good half season (see Spencer, Shane). There are no better options for 1B available than Lowell, so it's not JUST a Yanks-Sox thing. Though as a Yankee fan living in Boston the repurcussions of Lowell going to NY bring a smile to my face.

So, you'd let a cheater keep a record he doesn't deserve simply because he was one of many cheaters. That's not fair to Aaron who had to go through shit and racist abuse (including effing death threats) in his pursuit. But you're going to let a guy who took an illegal substance that made him bigger and stronger take away Hank's record. That's beyond unfair. It's an effing joke.

I fail to see why you can't take away the record. It's not that difficult. And if Bonds or anyone related to him think it's unfair, then tough shit, you shouldn't have disgraced the game in the first place. If baseball's records are to be taken seriously then you have to keep the cheaters out. As for anyone else who was found to have cheated, take any baseball record they may hold and take it away. I really don't understand why you want Bonds to keep the homerun records.

Marco, I'm not looking to baseball or any outside source for my moral barometer. I'm simply saying that if you're going to take baseball records seriously, then those found to be cheated cannot be holders of them. Simple as that.

you're probably right, but saying something won't happen isn't the same as saying it shouldn't. Baseball people take the records very seriously and I'll have a problem with that if a cheater is in possession of the most hallowed record.

I say take McGwire's 70 away too. Anyone who cheated. Period. Bond's has both records, one held by an African American like himself, so Steven A. can scream all he'd like, but racism has little to do with Bonds and his case.

Ortiz has been rumored to be linked to HGH. Perhaps there's more to the reason in how he went from an ok hitter in the hitter's paradise "Homerdome" to a powerhouse at Fenway.

A few years ago, a reporter asked Schilling if he would go to the Rockies -- since at the time he was more of a FB pitcher and would probably be ok in that park.

Schilling's response was that in the end, baseball is a game of numbers, and certain numbers are revered throughout history. He thought he could win games in Coors field, but the numbers he was worried about were ERA and Ks -- two things sure to be hurt by that park.

I think that Schilling is right -- baseball is a game of numbers and certain numbers are revered more than others. But, that doesn't make it possible to retroactively change anyone's numbers. And, before Bonds ever started taking steroids (assuming the reports are correct), he was already having a HoF career. So, does he go in the hall with those numbers as his career?

Given that there's no where to ever end this, the numbers will stick. And, baseball, will have to get over being a game of numbers a little bit. It's no different now (PED era) than in the past in the Negro League era or the dead ball/ live ball era or whatever. Certain players accomplish things that will stand as a record, regardless if they did it without cheating, against the very best competition available, and under the same rules as those who came before him.

Agreed with tbender. You can't just say "take the records away from anyone who cheated." Its patently ridiculous, especially since there were no tests for any PEDs going on back then. What, you're gonna re-write history based on what a guy LOOKS like now? "He looks like he did 'roids, so I think he did, so take away his records." I understand you're mad, but just THINK about how insane that sounds.

NEVER gonna happen and it shouldn't either -- there simply is no enforcable proof. Bonds STILL hasn't failed an MLB drug test, and players that have aren't anywhere near the record books anyway. To me, what you're talking about would be a far bigger travesty than letting Bonds keep the record.

I'm coming in late today, so I'll be quick. Dan, I gotta be contentious a little here...

Tim Tebow as Heisman leader? For a 7-3 UF team that's maybe in the SEC title hunt?

How is that worse than an 8-2 Oregon team that is most likely headed for the Rose Bowl? My point is, Dixon still deserves consideration as much as/more than Tebow.

I'm sure this has been beaten to death in the comments, but I had to be heard.

Other stuff...

Jeter? Hello? Of the 18 million Florida "residents", try about 50% are probably living somewhere else from at least May through September. Why do you think they are called "snow birds"?

And not for nothing, but doesn't Jeter's occupation/employer sort of predicate where he spends a lot of time (i.e., New York)? Doesn't mean he has to reside their officially. Hell, if you question Jeter, you BETTER question the whole Steinbrenner/Tampa compound.

(Disclosure- I'm a Red Sox fan and I just defended Jeter. I think I just threw up in my mouth.)

There's so many ways to analyze this, but I find it somewhat interesting that Fred Taylor just ran for 10,000 yards after 10 years and 121 games, and LT is doing it in, oh, 3 years and a full season less (in number of games terms). I think that durability issue for Taylor makes him less likely to be HOF-bound, whereas LT will probably be in- even if their numbers were frozen today. LT's prominent TD lead over Taylor is just undebatable.

To think, a couple years ago Ricky Williams was considered more evil than Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Pac-Man Jones, and every Cincinnati Bengal combined. Welcome back Rick.

what heat??? Again, my opinion isn't going to change. I realize that they're not going to change the record back to Aaron, all I'm saying is that they SHOULD. Move on losers.

@marco regarding Ortiz:

I heard it about six months ago. Surprisingly, I memorize where I saw it. It could be and likely is untrue, but my original statement of I would bet on Ortiz being named above ARod (the "I" being the operative word) was an opinion based on this rumor I heard a few months back.

Um, you called us all "Bonds defenders" dude, when in fact, none of us were defending Bonds -- just disagreeing with you. There's a difference.

Do I think Bonds cheated? Hell yes. Do I think he is the only one? Hell no. Do I think MLB did ANYTHING to try to stop it until recently? Not even close. And because MLB weren't testing, you, me, and everybody else has no FACTUAL basis to do any of that shit. We're all entitled to our opinions, but just because we're PROBABLY right doesn't mean we can just go erasing history.

I can imagine you'd be a lot of fun at an actual trial. "B-b-b-ut he LOOOKS so GUILTY! HANG HIM!"

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.